Rubber heel.



J. O-PPERUD.

RUBBER HEEL.

AFPLICATJQN FILED JAN. 5. l9l 6.

1 ,1 89,472. Patented July 4, 1916.

ain

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH OPPERUD, OF MADISON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

RUBBER HEE L.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH OPrEnUD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Lake and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber Heels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rubber heels and more particularly to that class of heels having means for prolonging their life.

The principal object is to provide a heel of the class described that 'will ha-ve a metal wear plate embedded therein in such a manner as not to impair the elasticity of the heel.

A further object is to provide a wear plate that will be so constructed that it will hold itself in position without the use of tacks, nails, etc.

Other objects and advantages such as simplicity, durability, cheapness in manufacture and.the general improvement of the art will be more fully brought out in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view ofa shoe with my improved heel attached; the heel being broken away on the line 11 of Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is a plan'view of the bottom of the heel,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of my improved heel on the line 33 of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the wear plate of my improved heel, Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification of my wear plate, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the modification shown in Fig.- 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A designates a shoe having a rubber heel 1 with my improved plate 2 embedded therein. The plate 2 consists of a wear portion 3 and retaining prongs 4 and 5 and retaining prongs 6 and 7. The retaining prongs 4 and 5 extend inwardly and are integral with the portion 3 and bent upwardly so that their lower faces are substantially in alinement with the upper face of the portion 3. The prongs 6 and 7 are bent upwardly and then back over the wear por- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Application filed January '5, 1916. Serial No. 70,456.

tion 3. The portion of the prongs extending over the portion 3 being on a line parallel therewith.

The plate described above is adapted to be embedded in a rubber heel during its construction and the prongs 4 and 5 serve to retain and also distribute the strain of the metal within the rubber. The prongs 6 and 7 are the main retaining prongs. The peculiar shape of these prongs prevents the plate from slipping backward or downward.

It is obvious that from the construction of the plate as described and shown it needs no securing means other than the prongs and that any impairment of the elasticity .of the heel is thus avoided. The cheapness of manufacture of the plate will also be obvious since it may be stamped out in one operation and pressed into shape in a second operation.

In Fig. 5 I show a modification ofmy device which-consists of the usual wear portion 3, but has a retaining plateportion 8 instead of the prongs 4 and' 5. A portion of theretaining plate 8 is pressed out and bent upwardly and over the wear portion 3 forming a single retaining prong 9.

It will be understood that I may change the details of construction and shape of my improved plate within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a heel having a rubber body portion,

- a metal wear plate embedded in said body portion, said plate comprising a wear portion, a portion extending laterally from the inner edge of said wear portion into said heel, and another portion bent upwardly from the inner edge of said wear portion and laterally so that it is spaced from and parallel with said wear portion.

2. wear plate for heels comprising a wear portion and retaining portions, said retaining portions comprising a plurality of retaining prongs extending laterally in one direction from one of the edges of said wear portion, and a second plurality of retaining edges of said Wear portion, and a second prongs extending laterally from the same plurality of retaining prongs extending up- 1) edge in the opposite direction. wardly and laterally from the same edge in 3. A Wear plate for heels comprising a the opposite direction. Wear portion and retaining portions, said In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my retaining portions comprising a plurality of signature. retaining prongs extending upwardly and laterally in one direction from one of the I JOSEPH OPPERUD. 

